I’m sure you’ve heard about the 10-step Korean skincare routine, right? A lot of websites tell you that it is essential to do all of these steps every day, but I am here to tell you that it is not the case. You can in fact tailor your choices of the day to match your skins needs. However, there are some things you will need if you wish to get skin that glows!

The Art of the Cleanse

The Korean skincare routine puts an emphasis on efficient cleansing, which is why a lot of people (yes, men too!) choose to double cleanse their skin. If you have particularly dry or sensitive skin, you can skip this step, but if not – buy both an oil cleanser and a water based cleanser, using the oil one first.

Exfoliation

Exfoliation is essential in any beauty regime, but the Korean skincare regime is quite different to the traditional regime which consists primarily of abrasive ingredients that physically scour off dead skin. The Korean regime focuses heavily on gel based exfoliation that utilize acids, sometimes fruit acids, to remove dead skin. The benefit of this is that you cannot over scrub, and you cannot accidentally scour fine lines into your skin.

Toner & Essence

Toners prepare your skin for the avalanche of products required in the Korean regimen. The toner balances your skin’s pH levels, and the toner leaves your skin feeling refreshed. The next step is the essence. An essence feels similar to a toner, but is applied after the toner. What an essence does is it helps with cell turnover, effectively brightening your skin.

Serums & Ampoules

Next comes your serums and ampoules, which are products designed to address specific skin problems, such as uneven skin tone. This step can be skipped if you have no skin issues to address. One tip here is if you use a serum, you can mix a drop in with your daily makeup application, a lot of girls do this to give their makeup that classic Korean dewy look; easy to achieve with any brand of foundation or BB cream and a simple drop of serum.

Eye cream, Moisturizer & Sleeping Mask Packs

Eye cream is an essential daily cream in the Korean skincare regime, which you can gently apply along with your choice of moisturizer. You can then add a sleeping mask pack on the top, which is basically a heavy mask designed to be worn while you sleep. The sleeping mask pack is my absolute favorite, and an essential for a glowing complexion as it will hydrate your skin all night long.

Face Masks

Face Masks can be done a few times a week depending on your needs and there are masks for every need imaginable! You can buy the one time use fabric sheet mask, a gel mask, a reusable fabric mask where you apply your own mask pack, or a brush-on mask from a tub or tube. You can also buy mask brushes to aid with the application of your mask and sometimes bigger companies give them away for free when you buy a mask, handy! A mask pack is a nice biweekly treat for your skin and a nice way to relieve stress during a busy week, but don’t do it every day – sometimes your pores just need a break!